Teacher unions, Sizemore clash again

The OregonianAnti-tax activist Bill Sizemore turns in signatures last month for initiatives he is trying to place on Oregon's November 2008 ballot.

SALEM - Bill Sizemore is in violation of a 2003 injunction and should be found in contempt of court, attorneys for the Oregon Education Association and American Federation of Teachers-Oregon claim in a motion filed Tuesday.

The motion alleges that Sizemore, whose initiatives often seek to limit union activities, has been fraudulently using money from a charitable organization, American Tax Research Foundation, for political purposes. The attorneys claim that violates an injunction that limited Sizemore's activities as part of a long-running court battle.

Sizemore said the claim was false and frivolous, emphasizing that "American Tax Research Foundation has done nothing whatsoever, has spent no money to support our signature drives."

The motion for contempt quotes Sizemore as saying he did research and consulting work for his wife Cindy's business, CBS Consulting, by providing content for ATRF's website. In return for that work, ATRF paid $7,500 per month to CBS Consulting, plus it paid for one year of rental of the Sizemores' home at $2,500 a month, the motion said.

Sizemore said Tuesday that ATRF's payments to CBS Consulting ended in late 2007 or early 2008, adding that the payments were for the website work. He has filed dozens of proposed initiatives for this year's November ballot, but he said the money had nothing to do with his initiative work.

The contempt claim is the latest chapter in a legal battle that started in 2000 when the unions sued Sizemore's Oregon Taxpayers United organizations, alleging illegal actions including filing false campaign finance reports and forging signatures. A jury verdict, with tripled damages due to state racketeering laws, awarded a $2.5 million judgment to the unions. Portions of the case remain on appeal in the courts.